NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont Softball returns to the friendly confines of E.S. Rose Park for a midweek conference showdown looking to extend its three-game win streak. The Bruins (22-15, 4-6 OVC) host crosstown rival Tennessee State (9-19, 2-8 OVC) for a doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon.
The Tigers have won three of their last four outings heading into the midweek clash to stand at 9-19 overall and 2-8 in Ohio Valley Conference play. TSU is led at the plate by Bri Vire, who is batting .359 with 33 hits, four doubles, one triple and eight RBI. Reese Weber is the only other player batting aver .300 coming in at .333 with 29 hits, three doubles and 11 RBI. Inside the circle, Tennessee State has Raven Loveless doing the lion's share, tossing 94.1 innings. She has recorded 45 strikeouts and has a 2.97 ERA with a 7-8 record.
BU stands at 22-15 overall and 4-6 in OVC games heading into the midweek series. Belmont has eight players batting over .300, led by senior Taylor Hargrove, who is batting .357 with 20 hits and a triple. Classmate Hayley Baker (Rockwall, Texas), who is the reigning CollegeSportsMadness.com OVC Player of the Week selection, follows batting .351 with 40 hits, 10 doubles, six homeruns and 31 RBI. Senior Baylee Cook (Lewisburg, Tenn.) is batting .331, with 39 hits, six doubles, a trio of homeruns and 24 RBI while sophomores Cheyenne Cavanaugh (Spring, Texas) and Elison Ollinger (Robins, Iowa) are both batting .326.
Inside the circle, the Bruin pitching corps is led by junior Brooklin Lee (Burns, Tenn.). She sports a 2.02 ERA after fanning 113 batters with four shutouts and a save for a 10-6 record. Sophomore Alicia Veltri (Clarksville, Tenn.) has 11 complete games under her belt with 100 strikeouts recorded over 102.1 innings tossed for a 9-7 mark with a 2.19 ERA.
Wednesday's doubleheader begins at 4 p.m. at Rose Park. Live stats will be available for the doubleheader and the contest can be seen live on ESPN+.
